


Fireflies

by orphan_account



Category: Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 19:04:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4149354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mercutio is like a lightning bug, Benvolio sometimes thinks- brilliant, glowing, and golden. But even fireflies can fear the dark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireflies

Of all the wonderful things about summer, one of Benvolio's favorite things had always been fireflies. There was just something about them he'd always been transfixed by; perhaps it was the way those small, utterly insignificant looking creatures could turn themselves into a thing of beauty just by making themselves light up. The thought that anything, no matter how small, had its own place in the world- even if it's place was simply to light up the sky at night- had always been a sentiment the boy found comforting. When he thought along those lines, he was able to feel like everyone truly had their own place, their own purpose- even him.

He loved watching the lightning bugs out in the back yard; there was something almost playful about the way they flitted around, casting their glow for all to see. After many nights of watching them he came to think of the bugs as friends of a sort- friends that visited him for a few months each year, asked for nothing and in return gave him only their soothing glow.

Catching fireflies was fun; especially when it was with Romeo and the others. He, Romeo, and Mercutio liked to make a game out of seeing who could catch the most fireflies before it really started to get dark and they had to go inside. After their competitions, Benvolio always made sure that his little friends were set free to go fly away and come back to him the next night.

Mercutio was kind of like a firefly too, he mused at times of his friend; he was just as golden as one, with sun-kissed hair and eyes that seemed as filled with light as a lightning bug's own gleam. And Mercutio could shine, even when he didn't realize it; he was like a beacon of light, drawing people to him. Mercutio was like a firefly- glowing, golden, and beautiful.

And unlike Benvolio and even Romeo, Mercutio was never afraid of anything. So maybe Benvolio envied him for that- just a little bit.

It was the end of the summer. Nights were just starting to come on earlier and faster; but to the three eight year olds playing in the sprawling backyard behind the Montague mansion, their days were still endless, night merely being a figment of shadow and imagination that they never truly needed to worry about, not really.

"Lightning bug game!" Mercutio announced, grinning gap-toothed as he held up a clear jar, one of the ones they used any time they played their game. Benvolio, eager to join in the fun, snatched up his own jar; Romeo was a bit more hesitant, his mind more focused on the ice cream his mother had mentioned she was saving for after dinner than anything else, but the last thing he wanted was to be the odd one out.

The game was no different that night from when they ever played it; each boy snuck off to their own area of the backyard to catch bugs, clapping them into the jars as soon as they managed to snatch them up and holding the glass up in the air proudly as the firefly blinked down at them in defeat. Every so often the boys would brush past each other one too many times, and it would become a one-on-one fight; the boy with the most bugs come inevitable nightfall would be declared the winner within the brightly lit safety of the Capulet doorway. 

It didn't take long before Benvolio and Romeo managed to catch each other's attention; it soon became a race between the two cousins to see who could catch the most lightning bugs in their hands, racing dogged circles around the backyard and not stopping even to glare challengingly at the other. Benvolio's mind was set only on the task at hand; he didn't have the chance to pause and wonder where Romeo or even Mercutio was, only where the next gleam of firefly glow would come from and how quickly he could clap his hands together to snatch the bug out of the air.

By the time Romeo finally collapsed back on to the grass, worn out (Benvolio had always been able to keep running longer than he could, and his stamina was a source of pride to the young boy), they both declared that it was getting too dark to stay out any longer. The sun had sunk out of sight now, the moon a bright beacon against an increasingly darkening canvas of deep blue sky. With barely any light left, they managed to deem Romeo the winner of their battle; exchanging glances, the two boys both grinned at each other before twisting the jar lids and setting the bugs free into the night sky.

Benvolio watched his friends fly up, his wide eyes alight with wonder at the blinking spectacle that suddenly was the sky over his head. Yes, he thought to himself- there was something truly beautiful about lightning bugs.

"Hey," Romeo suddenly said, and his next words snapped Benvolio out of his trance and sent a cold shock through his stomach. "Where did Mercutio go?"

Benvolio blinked in bafflement at his cousin as it dawned on him that he hadn't seen a trace of Mercutio since nearly the beginning of the game. "Did- did he go inside?"

Romeo's eyes narrowed at the thought of crafty Mercutio getting the first taste of his precious ice cream. "He better not have!" he growled, dashing through the open doorway and into his house. Benvolio remained outside, silently scanning the backyard; he could see no trace of Mercutio, from the far off tree line to Auntie's garden, even all the way across the yard near the swimming pool and deck, and area that by now was almost pitch dark. Mercutio was nowhere to be found.

"He isn't in here!" Romeo called from inside, his own voice now taking on a layer of bemusement; and Benvolio knew in that moment that something was very wrong.

"Mercutio!" Abandoning the safety of the lit doorway, he dashed out into the dark yard again, his head swiveling left to right as he searched desperately for any sign of his lost friend. "Mercutio, where are you? Cutio! Where did you go?"

"Mercutio!" He was vaguely aware of Romeo's voice joining in the search as well from the other side of the yard. "This isn't funny!"

"Mercutio, come out!" Had he gotten upset that Benvolio and Romeo were playing without him? Mercutio could be jealous at times... but that couldn't be it, he never got angry over things like that anymore. Why would he have just run off? Benvolio couldn't make sense of it; he couldn't understand why Mercutio had disappeared, and why he _wouldn't_ answer.

Steadily, Benvolio began making his way over to the dreaded farmost corner of the yard, where the pool and deck lay all but concealed in the darkness. At once a horrible thought struck him; could Mercutio not have seen the edge of the pool in the dark and simply plunged right into the water?

Swallowing his dread, Benvolio found himself wishing he hadn't let go of all his friends when he did as he made his way carefully over to the edge of the pool; it would be a relief to have someone with him now, as well as have a little light. But in the inky black water, he could discern nothing- certainly not anything that could resemble his lost friend. If only he could see clearer, if only he had just a bit of _light..._

A glimmer caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he felt his heart jump. It was an all too familiar sight- the glow of a firefly!

Quickly, he made his way towards the pool deck- the brief flash of light had, undoubtedly, come from under the pool deck. Crouching down, he peered between the wooden steps and waited for the lightning bugs to give him their light again. 

After a few seconds, they did; and Benvolio's heart leaped. "Mercutio!" he exclaimed, and the small figure curled up beneath the steps, his body curled tightly around the jar he was holding, cringed.

Benvolio felt himself frown; Mercutio showed no signs of even recognizing his voice. "Mer- Mercutio?" he ventured, cautiously reaching a hand between the steps and extending to touch his friend on the shoulder. "It's me..."

As soon as his hand brushed the other boy's shoulder, Mercutio jumped back with a pitiful whimper. "Please don't hurt me!" he half-sobbed, and it dawned on a shocked Benvolio that his fearless friend was crying.

"Mercutio... it's me. Benvolio..."

Slowly, he saw the shadow-veiled figure shift slightly, and the jar lit up again to reveal two large, frightened golden eyes staring out at him. "Benvolio?" echoed Mercutio in a soft voice, sounding uncertain. "Really?"

"It's me," repeated Benvolio, still holding out his hand; suddenly Mercutio seized it, clinging to the human contact with a force that nearly dragged Benvolio right down under the steps with him. The dark haired boy let out a surprised yelp, only to be hastily shushed by his friend.

"Shh- they'll hear you!"

"Hear me- who?"

"The bad people, Ben," replied Mercutio earnestly, holding Benvolio's hand close, almost protectively as his eyes surveyed the darkened yard warily. "The monsters. That's why- that's why I'm hiding here."

It finally seemed to come together for Benvolio; with a dull sort of surprise, it dawned on him that Mercutio was afraid of the dark.

No wonder he was hiding; Mercutio must have wandered a bit too far away while Romeo and Benvolio were playing. But the sun had vanished sooner than he’d expected, and as darkness had fallen across the yard Mercutio had gotten caught on the wrong side of it; growing frightened, Benvolio could imagine his suddenly panic-stricken friend scrambling under the wooden deck and curling up around his only source of light, hoping beyond hope that none of the monsters in his head would be able to find him. Benvolio stared down at the crouched figure under the deck, torn between feeling awed and sympathetic; if he hadn't found him, would Mercutio have stayed under here all night?

"Mercutio," he said quietly, "we need to go inside now."

"No!" The other boy shook his head frantically. "It's not safe, Ben!"

"But-" Benvolio's brow furrowed, his mind running through any and all ways he could possibly mend this situation and help his fearful friend. "Do you want me to get my aunt?"

"No!" This exclamation was a bit more forceful, a little more desperate. Benvolio's hand was clutched tighter; the pressure was becoming almost painful now. "Don't leave me!” Mercutio sounded absolutely panic-stricken, and this scared Benvolio the most. “Please!”

“Okay!” In contrast to Mercutio’s frantic tone, Benvolio knew he had to help calm his friend; he worked to make his voice sound level and soothing as he squeezed the other boy’s hand back. “Okay, it’s okay Mercutio. I won’t leave you alone.” His eyes flickered across the yard; it seemed like a long way back, and in the dark as well- but surely it couldn’t be that far away. “But we have to go back to the house, where it’s safe. We can go together.”

Mercutio was silent for a minute, and Benvolio cursed the fact that in the dark he was unable to see his friend’s face. Finally the small voice came: “But I’m scared.”

Mercutio wasn't supposed to be the one who was scared. Benvolio was afraid of lots of things; he was afraid of hospitals, and loud noises, thunder, and driving in cars during storms. Spiders terrified him, and he could never fly in a plane without his heart beginning to race. Even Romeo had his own fears, namely bears and tiny spaces. But Mercutio had always proudly proclaimed that there was nothing in the world that could frighten him; out of the three of them, he was the one who was fearless.

He wasn't supposed to sound small, Benvolio thought. He wasn't supposed to sound like he didn't know what to do.

Benvolio wasn't brave, but he knew that he wasn't a coward. And if Mercutio wasn't able to be brave at that moment, then there was no question in Benvolio's mind that he needed to be brave for him.

The fireflies illuminated the jar once more, and Benvolio got an idea.

"Mercutio," he whispered, squeezing his frightened companion's hand firmly. "It's okay. We're not in any danger, because we aren't alone."

The desired effect was achieved; the next flare of the fireflies showed Mercutio’s eyes, round and wide, peering up at him through the wooden steps. Benvolio had gotten his attention.

“The fireflies,” he whispered as if he were sharing a confidential secret, using his free hand to gesture to the jar Mercutio still held. “They’re my friends, you know. As long as they’re with us, nothing is going to be able to hurt us. They can protect us. They’ll make it safe to walk back to the house.”

Mercutio tilted his head in a manner similar to a baffled cat. “S-So…” He seemed to be trying very hard to make sense of Benvolio’s statement. “You mean nothing is going to hurt us?”

“Exactly. We’ll be safe. You and me and the fireflies.” As if to punctuate his statement, the jar lit up once again, it’s brief glow bathing both boys in golden light. Benvolio felt the edges of his mouth turn up just a bit at the seemingly friendly gesture from the bugs; he’d always known they were on his side. He had never found their light more soothing than he did at that moment; and by the slowly fading look of tension on Mercutio’s angular face, he seemed to feel the same.

“Come on Cutio,” whispered Benvolio. “Lets go home, okay?”

It took a bit more encouragement from Benvolio’s side, but gradually he managed to coax Mercutio out from under the steps. Benvolio had always been the shorter of the two, but Mercutio now clung to him like a lifeline; both arms wrapped around his friend’s shoulder, he allowed Benvolio to light their way as step by step they move across the yard. The fireflies, seeming intent on helping the boys in their quest, periodically provided their warm glow to act as a beacon as, step by step, Benvolio guided Mercutio back to the sanctuary of the Montague kitchen, when he could see Romeo and his mother standing in the doorway.

They finally reached the safety of the back porch, and Mercutio let go of Benvolio’s arm for the first time as he practically bolted inside and right into the concerned arms of Romeo’s mother. Mercutio’s face was buried in the front of her shirt, but even trembling as he was he still managed to insist that he wasn’t crying as the woman who had come to consider him yet another nephew led him into the kitchen for ice cream.

Setting the jar of fireflies by the door, Benvolio quickly followed the others inside. Once Mercutio had finished his dessert and had retired upstairs to brush his teeth, Benvolio told his aunt, uncle and cousin exactly what had happened; how he had found Mercutio cowering under the deck and the way he’d led him back to safety. His uncle ruffled his hair, calling him “level-headed” and a “good boy”, and his aunt cupped his cheek and told him that she was proud of him. Even Romeo gave him a wide grin and said he’d done great, and Benvolio was left feeling warm inside and quietly proud of what he had done- although he knew that it had only been the right thing to do. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t done it alone. He knew he’d had help.

After Romeo had run upstairs to join Mercutio, Benvolio slipped out the back door again. The jar with the fireflies was still waiting on the porch exactly where he had left it.

Crouching down, Benvolio carefully unscrewed the led, peering at the mass of tiny bugs inside. Romeo, he thought, was still the winner; but to Benvolio, these loyal bugs were in a class of their own, despite their number.

“Thank you for helping me,” he whispered, uncapping the jar and holding it up so that his friends could be set free. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” The bugs took off into the air one by one, Benvolio’s eyes following each of their movements as they flew away. It wasn’t long before the sky was lit up by light once more, and he smiled to himself; even when the last bug flew away, he knew, their light would remain.

The bugs had their place, their reason, their own role to play. Little as it may be, it was still heroic, and their light could still help people when they saw it. That, Benvolio mused, was a thought that made him happy.

That night, no one said a word when Mercutio “forgot” to turn the hall light off before going to sleep. Nor would Benvolio question his motives, years later, when he would receive texts from his friend at three in the morning simply stating things like _“can’t sleep,”_ or _“the moon looks bright tonight”_. He never said a word, but he knew, and he played along anyway.

After all, they each had their roles to play.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. I'm still in the pit that is R&J, and I can't get out. Send help, because I'm working on a multi-chapter fic now. Involving witches. Save me.


End file.
